Aeros watch: Wild select crushing hitter Mathew Dumba in first round

The Minnesota Wild selected defenseman Mathew Dumba with the seventh overall pick in Friday’s first round of the NHL draft. Dumba, one of the best open-ice hitters in the draft, could end up on the Aeros eventually.

“I have a lot of hard work in front of me; this is just the beginning,” Dumba said to NHL.com

Dumba scored 20 goals and added 37 assists in 69 games for the Red Deer Rebels last season, so he does have some skill to go along with the grit. In a draft rich in quality defensemen, Minnesota got perhaps the nastiest player when it comes to physicality. The 17-year old Dumba served as captain for Team Canada at the Under-18 World Championships earlier this year and led the tournament in scoring by tallying five goals and seven assists in seven games.

In the later rounds, the Wild added some Minnesota kids in defenseman John Draeger ( who is said to have potential to be a shutdown guy) and left winger Louis Nanne (grandson of Lou Nanne) from Edina. They also selected two centers in Adam Gilmour and Swiss league player Christoph Bertschy. The team also drafted Swedish defenseman Daniel Gunnarsson and rugged left winger Rapheal Bussieres.